Yet where he trimmed to fit within the tighter time constraints of a double bill, he retained newer material and consequently lost some of the crowd. He found his place nine songs in with the “Graceland” classics “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” and “You Can Call Me Al,” two wildly upbeat songs fused together by a finely executed percussion interlude. That perf, however, found Simon energetic and enthusiastic Tuesday, at the first of two nights at the Greek, he seemed to be fighting a cold as well as a sound mix that was turning the work of his three percussionists and bassist into an unenjoyable mush for almost half the concert. Simon takes the second spot on the bill with a two-hour revue that’s nearly identical to his November show at the Wiltern. Two years ago Simon toured with Bob Dylan, and the intertwining nature of their histories made for fascinating comparisons and dialogue: There’s not much to talk about in this pairing. Simon wonderfully blended material from the latest disc, a Grammy nominee, with his rich songbook at the Wiltern Theater the reinvigorated Wilson, with a stellar 10-piece band, made the Beach Boys catalog refreshing again at the Roxy (that show became a two-CD live set). Last year, Simon and Wilson delivered, in venues smaller than the Greek, triumphant performances that not only covered each artist’s four decades of songwriting but defined their positions in contemporary music. However, the overall feeling is one of sluggishness. band the Wondermints and the unknown Beach Boy, Jeff Foskett, made everything sound as good as it does on record.
Wilson, possibly the ultimate Southern Californian, delivered nothing but hits in his 75 minutes, closing with “Love and Mercy,” which was the only song from his solo career.
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